Metro Government

Louisville Metro Council announced the schedule for two public hearings on a proposed ordinance to significantly increase the tax rate on most insurance premiums in the city, part of a plan advocated by Mayor Greg Fischer...

Mayor Greg Fischer unveiled a plan on Wednesday to dramatically increase the tax rate on certain insurance premiums over the next four years, in an effort to fill a $65 million budget hole over that time...

In a bold move to keep new tax revenue in-house, small cities are considering matching Metro Council’s proposed increase to the insurance premium tax. To fill a large budget hole created by escalating pension costs, Mayor Greg...

Mayor Greg Fischer warned of the potential of “devastating” cuts to city services and staff layoffs without new tax revenue on Thursday, citing an expected $65 million budget gap over the next four years due the...

City leaders have denounced an apparent hate crime directed at a Hindu temple earlier this week, as it was broken into and desecrated with graffiti. At some point between Sunday night and Tuesday morning, officials said,...

State

A bill was introduced Wednesday in the Kentucky General Assembly just before the filing deadline for legislation that would raise the state gas tax by 10 cents per gallon, in addition to imposing new fees and...

After failed attempts last spring and in a 24-hour special session in December, Kentucky lawmakers will try to pass pension reform once more this session. Filed on the final day for new bills, House Bill 504...

Neil Ramsey announced his official resignation from the Kentucky Retirement Systems board of trustees at its meeting on Thursday, two months after he first announced that he would resign over a legal conflict. Following an Insider...

The Louisville Urban League’s next free felony expungement clinic on March 2 is already fully booked, but in the meantime the nonprofit is seeking legal volunteers to help that clinic run as smoothly as possible for...

A bill that would legalize and regulate wagering on sporting events in Kentucky and earmark tax revenue to the state pension system easily passed through a legislative committee Wednesday morning. House Bill 175 would allow Kentuckians to...

By Perry Bacon Gov. Matt Bevin is unpopular — a poll released in January by Morning Consult found that he ranked 45th among America’s 50 governors in terms of favorability (though, the five below him are no longer...

By Amye Bensenhaver In an era when virtually every public official gives lip service to the importance of transparency and accountability, what is it that motivates a legislator to introduce a bill that abridges these twin goals?...

Chris Thieneman filed to run as an independent candidate for mayor of Louisville just before the final deadline on Tuesday afternoon, fulfilling his vow from May to do so unless Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell lost his primary election or Mayor Greg Fischer fired Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Steve Conrad.

In May, Thieneman had asserted that O’Connell, Fischer and Conrad attempted to cover up the LMPD’s Youth Explorer sexual abuse scandal. He occasionally followed the county attorney with a mobile billboard and live Facebook videos making the same accusation, with O’Connell twice snapping back at him by bringing up his past legal troubles.

At the time, Thieneman said that if O’Connell won his primary — which he did the next day — and Conrad wasn’t fired, “then I’m going to put all of my effort into getting some justice and trying to get this city on the right path with leadership.”

In a message to Insider Louisville Tuesday afternoon, Thieneman said he “made a promise to the victims of the Youth Explorer program back in the spring, and I’m honoring that promise to them.”

Thieneman, who was a star football player at the University of Louisville before playing professionally, has run unsuccessfully for political office several times. He lost the Republican primary for Congress in 2008 and mayor in 2010; he also won his party’s nomination for state Senate in his south Louisville district in 2012 before losing to Democratic Sen. Perry Clark in the general election.

When asked in May if he was concerned about pulling Republican or conservative South End Democratic votes away from Republican mayoral nominee Angela Leet in the general election, Thieneman said he was not, arguing that Leet hadn’t been strong enough on what he called a shameful cover-up by the most powerful officials in the city.

Among the other independent candidates who have filed to run for mayor is bike store owner and environmental activist Jackie Green, who campaigned for mayor as an independent in 2010 before dropping out of the race. Also filing to run as independents for mayor are Billy Ralls, Douglas Edward Lattimore, Isaac Marion Thacker IV and Sean Vandevander.

This story has been updated.

Reposted from https://insiderlouisville.com/government/local/chris-thieneman-files-to-run-for-mayor-as-independent/